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IRAN PRESIDENT BACKS BRAZIL PLAN FOR NUCLEER FUEL SWAP

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has approved a Brazilian plan aimed at breaking the impasse over a UN-drafted nuclear fuel swap deal for Tehran, his website says. Ahmadinejad agreed to the plan in principle, adding that technical discussions should continue, it adds

Kategori	: POLITICS
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Tarih	: 07.05.2010

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Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has approved a Brazilian plan aimed at breaking the impasse over a UN-drafted nuclear fuel swap deal for Tehran, his website says. Ahmadinejad agreed to the plan “in principle,” adding that technical discussions should continue, it adds

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has welcomed the mediation efforts by Brazil in a nuclear deal with the West, saying he may agree to a Brazilian plan that will give Iran nuclear fuel for a reactor in return for its low-enriched uranium.

World powers and Iran have been at loggerheads for months over the deal, which envisages supplying nuclear fuel for a Tehran research reactor in exchange for low-enriched uranium from Iran.

The deal stalled after Iran insisted that the two materials be exchanged simultaneously within its borders - a condition rejected by world powers who accuse Iran of masking a weapons drive under the guise of what Tehran says is a purely civilian atomic program. In April, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said during a visit to Tehran that his country could "examine" hosting the fuel swap if requested by Iran.

According to the Iranian presidential website, president.ir, Ahmadinejad discussed a Brazilian proposal in a telephone conversation with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday.

"The main issue of talks between Ahmadinejad and Chavez was the Brazilian president's proposal regarding the nuclear fuel swap, and Ahmadinejad declared his basic approval to this proposal," the website said.

It did not give details about what the Brazilian proposal was, but Amorim told Iran's official news agency IRNA on April 27 that Brazil could host a fuel swap deal if asked by Tehran. "As of now there is no proposal, but if we receive such a proposal, it could be examined," he said.

Political guarantors

Before insisting on the condition that the fuel be exchanged in Iran, Tehran had previously said it could consider whether the fuel could be swapped in Japan, Brazil, Turkey or on the Iranian Kish island.

Amorim had also said in Tehran that Brazil was "interested in having a role in settling Iran's nuclear issue." He had taken a serious exception to the presence of Western countries in the P5+1 group negotiating with Iran. The group consists of permanent Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.

He said Brazil and Turkey could be possible "political guarantors" to help resolve the issue, adding that Ankara could also be the host to exchange nuclear fuel.

The fuel deal deadlock has led Washington to step up global efforts for a fourth round of U.N. sanctions against Tehran.

Brazil and Turkey, two temporary members of the 15-strong U.N. Security Council, have consistently defended Iran's nuclear program, which the West suspects masks a weapons drive. Tehran denies the charge.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has said it can’t confirm that Iran’s atomic intentions are peaceful because the government isn’t cooperating with the agency. The U.S. is pushing for further United Nations sanctions to stop what it says are Iran’s attempts to develop nuclear weapons.

Washington said Tuesday it was growing "increasingly skeptical" that dialogue will end the nuclear standoff with Iran, even as Brazil, Turkey and other countries pursued mediation efforts. "We do recognize the value and importance of a variety of countries engaging Iran," State Department Philip Crowley told reporters.

"There is a two-track process here, engagement and pressure, and the foreign minister told the secretary that Brazil continues to see... what can be achieved on this engagement process," Crowley said.

He was alluding to the talks Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had Monday with Amorim on the sidelines of the ongoing nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in New York.

"As the secretary said yesterday, I think we're increasingly skeptical that the Iranians are going to change their course absent... a real significant, powerful statement by the international community," the spokesman said. But Crowley stressed that "we hope that these efforts by Turkey, Brazil and others might be successful."

"I think we are all sending the same message: that Iran has to answer the questions that the international community has," Crowley said. "It needs to respond in a formal and meaningful way to the offer that was put on the table last fall. There may still be a difference of opinion as to where we are in this process," he said.

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